This day is about all the days that came before. Every memory of summer and sunrise, golden evenings spent in the gardens, children and laughter, and even my own childhood. To me, Mother's Day isn't just about being grateful for Mom on one day of the year.. it's about being grateful for all of the memories that have created the person I am and the mother in me that is now passing those experiences on to my girls.
This morning I woke up to the sound of eggs cracking, the dishwasher being unloaded and then loaded again and the stove and oven both making busy good morning noises as my littles prepared a nice breakfast - not just for me, but for everyone in the family. I couldn't help but think of one of my very favorite story books from when I was a child. The book is Just For You by Mercer Mayer.
How adorable and perfectly fitting is that! In years past, I have managed to eat burned toast and overcooked eggs with shell bits while smiling and thanking my Little Women for their kindness. And every year I thought of the two images above. You can't overcook kindness. Having said that, I am happy to report that my girls' cooking has greatly improved over the years!
It simply would not be Mother's Day without flowers. My mom taught me to love and appreciate gardening from the time I was old enough to plant marigolds with a kitchen spoon taking the place of a garden shovel. I also have many memories of church musical performances that honored mothers. "I often go walking in meadows of clover. And I gather arm fulls of blossoms of blue. I gather the blossoms, the whole meadow over. Dear Mother, all flowers remind me of you." Okay, I'm a little choked up as I just sang that verse in my head. After singing to the mothers in church, the little primary children would then hand out little potted flowers to every mother standing. I cherish those memories.
Now that I have grown and nearly grown children of my own, we also love to garden and sing. We may not be performing in church but we have our own rituals and things we cherish doing together. Recently, my girls and I planted our spring gardens. After all the new annuals are planted, we love to stand back and admire our hard work. What makes it even better is knowing that the plants will continue to grow and provide new, spectacular colors until fall. I have my mom to thank for my love of gardening.. and I must confess, this year was the first year that we actually bought enough shovels for everyone to have an actual garden tool instead of kitchen spoons. I think I just might miss those spoon-shovels.
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| Our absolute favorite oasis during the summer! |
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| I love my Peter Rabbit garden that my Sweetheart built for me. The rabbit over the entryway was a gift from Mom. |
The best part is that we still have lots of planting to do! I just have to get more funds to hand over to the local nurseries in order to feed my gardening addiction! I will have to take pictures of our beautiful potted plants as well. We are often told by our friends and family that they love summer gatherings in our beautiful, flowery backyard. Me too, my friends, me too!
I'm a very grateful and proud mama today and every day. I feel like I should be celebrating the little girls that gave me the title of Mother. They inspire me each and every day. I find myself thinking that I want to be just like them when I grow up... I always wish I could have been more like them when I was their age. My own mother, and my little women are the people who define me. I am so lucky to have all of them in my life!
Happy mother's day to each and every mother and family! Cherish family time and build memories that will last a lifetime.
I know I have.
